--The controller is remarkably simple (read, boring?). Amazon isn't trying to set the gaming world alight here, just adding some extra features to its new device.

--Fortunately, the batteries in the remote are simply normal replaceable ones.

--Many of the chips used across the board here have been used to great effect elsewhere, according to iFixit—the Moto X and Kindle Fire HDX 7, for instance. In other words, Amazon has chosen some of the best hardware it can at the price to power the device.

--One last, weird, point: many of the components are tagged with RFID stickers. Presumably for inventory tracking, but still a little weird.